Name: Sourdough Discard Breadsticks
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1475 min
Ingredients: 6.2 ounces water; 3.5 ounces sourdough starter (active or discard); 11.4 ounces all purpose flour; 0.3 ounces salt; 3 TBS unsalted butter (melted); 1 TBS olive oil; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp garlic powder (); 2 TBS salted butter (); 2 tsp shakeable parmesan cheese (optional)

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This sourdough discard breadsticks recipe is a light and fluffy version of dinner rolls. Made with sourdough discard and topped with a garlic butter glaze (and Parmesan cheese), these are a great appetizer or addition to any meal.

sourdough discard breadsticks in towel and basket.

Growing up we always enjoyed pasta meals with a side of bread. When I became gluten free, I really missed a nice piece of bread.

Flash forward 14 years later and we enjoy fermented sourdough products regularly. Over the years, I have made it my mission to become an expert at adapting meals to ‘sourdough’, to appease fit my formerly gluten free lifestyle (and my stomach is all the happier!).

Whether it be a crusty loaf of french bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dip it in, easy sourdough mozzarella sticks, homemade sourdough Hawaiian dinner rolls or pull apart bread, I loved the extra carbs.

My favorite though, was breadsticks. I always remember what a treat it was to have soft, pillowy breadsticks along with a meal. There is something so decadent about a breadstick that pulls apart and has a tender inside.

The ones that would almost melt in your mouth and were slathered in a layer of garlic butter, (the same garlic butter sauce from our viral sourdough discard garlic knots. And of course topped with powdered Parmesan cheese.

They were toasty and hot compared to the chilly marinara sauce. A match made in heaven!

If we had pizza from Little Caesars (the hot and ready $5 kind), we definitely had breadsticks to go along with it. These sourdough discard breadsticks bring me back to those memories. If you twist my arm – I might even say they could even be classified as a sourdough discard olive garden breadsticks recipe – they are that good!

These sourdough discard breadsticks are the perfect addition to any pasta night or as an appetizer to your favorite chicken dinner. We love that we can make gut healthy recipes from scratch, all thanks to our made from scratch sourdough starter.

Why you will love these Sourdough Discard Breadsticks (no yeast)

These sourdough discard breadsticks are made without yeast
They use up a sizable amount of sourdough discard

Each person will have their own personal ‘slice of bread’
This is a “no knead” sourdough breadstick recipe- simply stir together and go!

They are soft and fluffy, covered in butter and a delicious garlic flavor
It is an easy recipe. It is a staple in our kitchen, similar to other enriched doughs with butter, like our sourdough garlic knots or sourdough Hawaiian rolls

Kitchen Equipment

A large mixing bowl, bench scraper or pizza cutter, and baking sheet are all you need for this recipe. No stand mixer necessary!

Ingredients for Sourdough Breadsticks

This recipe for sourdough breadsticks was inspired by the flavor of our sourdough discard garlic knots and the easy no-knead sourdough pizza crust recipe. You will find the basic ingredients and instructions overlap, though the process and shaping is slightly different.

Sourdough starter
- Sourdough starter provides the rise within this recipe – no instant yeast necessary!
- Either sourdough discard or active starter will work within this recipe. I have used cold sourdough starter out of the fridge and recently fed active starter. Both turn out great.
Flour
- There are a variety of flour. We prefer all purpose flour, though you can use a split of all purpose flour, bread flour and / or whole wheat flour.
Salt
Water
Butter
- Use unsalted butter, salted butter or dairy free butter.
- Butter is added to this recipe for flavor and moisture. If the breadsticks get ‘hard’ in the refrigerator after they are baked, it is due to the butter content within the sourdough breadsticks.
Oil
- Adding oil to this recipe provides long lasting moisture to this
Water
(Optional) Garlic
- Depending on what kind of breadstick you are making, garlic may be an addition. This can be incorporated into the dough and also spread on top as apart of the delicious garlic butter mixture.
(Optional) Shaker Parmesan Cheese
- Parmesan cheese can be used to top savory breadsticks. It gives the classic ‘Little Caesars’ breadstick taste and appearance.

How to make Sourdough Discard Breadsticks

Making sourdough discard breadsticks is a straightforward progress.

It begins with mixing together the dough. Combine the flour, water, butter, salt and sourdough discard together. Mix the dough together with your hands until you can no longer feel the salt and a smooth dough forms.

This kneading process will take about 3-5 minutes. If you want to speed up the process, allow the dough to autolayse after mixing slightly for 5-10 minutes before kneading.

sourdough breadstick dough in round ball.

Cover the top of the bowl with a lid or tea towel. Allow the dough ball to sit on the countertop until it has doubled in size (4-12 hours depending on the temperature of your home).

Once the dough has doubled in size, place in the refrigerator to continue the bulk fermentation. Because of this, the bulk ferment can continue for up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, pull out the dough 2-3 hours before baking. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead in garlic powder.

Place the dough on the countertop and use a bench scraper to portion out the sourdough breadsticks. Shape the breadsticks with your hands by stretching and using the counter to roll into a short log about 6-8 inches long.

Place the shaped breadsticks on a lined baking sheet or 9×9 glass pan. We line our pan with a reusable silicone mat, though you can use parchment paper if you like.

Once shaped, allow the sourdough breadsticks to come to room temperature (about 2-3 hours) and complete and second rise. Cover with plastic wrap or a lightly damp tea towel if you are worried about the breadsticks drying out. Because you will cover the dough it will not be sticky when touched and will have increased in size.

Do not skip this second rise to ensure fluffy and light sourdough breadsticks. When the breadsticks have proofed, preheat the oven to 450.

In a bowl, combine butter, salt and garlic powder. Brush the breadsticks with the melted butter mixture before placing in the oven.

Option to top the breadsticks with shakeable Parmesan cheese to make sourdough cheesy breadsticks.

Bake the sourdough discard breadsticks for 12-15 minutes, or until they are golden brown in color. When removed from the oven, you can place on a wire rack to increase the speed of cooling.

sourdough discard breadsticks on baking sheet.

As they are cooling, you can brush with more garlic butter and add additional cheese. Additionally, this secondary butter layer will make them tastes like a Little Caesars crazy bread copycat!

Enjoy hot out of the oven alone or in your favorite dipping sauce. We love marinara sauce or oil and vinegar.

Sample Baking Schedule

This is a sample baking schedule for sourdough breadsticks to be ready for dinner.

I used cold sourdough starter from the fridge and my fridge was about 65-67 degrees.

7pm (Day prior to baking): Mix together dough
8am: Put dough into fridge
2pm: Remove dough from fridge, divide and let rest / complete secondary rise
4-5pm: Bake

Sourdough Breadstick Flavor Variations

There are a variety of sourdough breadstick flavors. Here are some ideas to inspire you!

Garlic breadsticks: Add garlic herb seasoning
Sea Salt
Add mozzarella to the middle of the breadsticks before rolling up (they will be a light and fluffy version of this sourdough pull apart bread)
- We love a good sourdough discard cheesy breadstick – it is like a sourdough Bosco Stick (or ‘Bosco Bread Cheese Sticks’ as we called them during the elementary school days).
Add everything but the bagel seasoning, poppy seeds or sesame seeds
Italian breadsticks: Mix with Italian seasoning / herbs like basil, oregano, garlic, onion, etc into the dough
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese or white cheddar
Brush with honey butter
Cinnamon sugar: add a little bit of sugar (and cinnamon) on top after brushing with melted butter

How to store sourdough breadsticks

Store leftover breadsticks at room temperature to ensure they do not dry out. If you would like to freeze, place in a freezer-safe bag, separate with wax paper between breadsticks and lay flat. Reheat by separating and putting in the microwave for a moment. Brush with additional butter if additional moisture is needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because this recipe is long fermented, you can use either active sourdough starter or sourdough discard. The recipe will rise two times.

No, these are sourdough breadsticks with no yeast. These fluffy breadsticks rise thanks to sourdough discard and two proofing times.

Yes, bread flour can work in replacement of all purpose flour.

Yes, freeze them after they are shaped but before the secondary rise. Freeze them on a sheet pan for 1-2 hours so they do not stick together when placed in a freezer safe container or bag. When ready to make them, remove them to come to room temperature / complete secondary rise. Bake as outlined.